Out of the Blue for Parents: October 2009

2009-10 Is Underway
The 2009-10 school year got underway without a hitch, as Colby welcomed the Class of 2013—the bicentennial class, since its members will graduate as the College celebrates its 200th anniversary. Four-hundred eighty first-years include residents of 35 states and citizens of more than 30 countries including, for the first time, Rwanda and Cambodia. Orientation, revamped in recent years, went so smoothly that Associate Dean of Students Barbara Moore said the potentially chaotic check-in process seemed "too quiet." Welcoming events included an ice cream social during which Alumni Relations staff served more than 700 new and returning students. A profile of the Class of '13 is online. More details on the opening of school are online.

State of the College Discussed
The need for clearer communication of security and emergency-response polices and procedures, along with recognition that a healthy relationship between students and security must be based on mutual respect, were chief among President Bro Adams's themes in his State of the College address Sept. 15. While most of his speech focused on the aftermath of events of April 12 that led to student arrests, Adams also discussed the curricular review being led by the Dean of Faculty's Office and efforts to ensure that JanPlan fulfills its potential. He highlighted the visual arts, international study, and sustainability efforts as areas of distinction for Colby, and he briefed students on the somewhat-improved financial picture, noting that long-term challenges remain for Colby. Audio of Adams's State of the College address is online.

An Enjoyable Weekend
Fine weather helped make Family Homecoming Weekend enjoyable for the more than 3,000 family members, friends, and alumni who visited the campus Sept. 25-27, 2009. Festivities included student musical and theatrical performances, athletic competitions, relaxing social events, and pleasant meals. This year guests were treated to more faculty presentations than previously and had opportunities to hear from students about their experiences at Colby in academic and co-curricular activities. Some student photos from the weekend are online.

The Colby Experience in Video
This summer Tarini Manchanda '09 set out to learn what makes Colby unique. She interviewed students and professors and, using skills learned in the American Dreams documentary filmmaking course and a gift for storytelling, she produced a ten-minute film called The Colby Experience. View it online.

Career Planning: The Four-Year Program
Colby has the only four-year career curriculum in the NESCAC. Colby Connect engages students and connects them to fellowships, internships, job shadowing, and employment opportunities and prepares them for graduate study. The program, unique among Colby’s closest competitors, also provides students with a four-year sequence of workshops, presentations, and programs to help them plan postgraduate endeavors, and it integrates Career Center programming with alumni, parents, faculty, and recruiters.

Working Group Tackles High-Risk Drinking
Extending the academic and intellectual focus throughout the week and adopting a more restrictive policy on the use of hard alcohol are among recommendations of the Campus Culture Working Group, formed after the 2008 Champagne Steps with the goal of eliminating high-risk and dangerous drinking as a staple of student social life. Dean of Students Jim Terhune presented the CCWG's report Sept. 15 at the annual State of the College program for students, outlining 10 recommendations that trustees will consider in October after a period for input from students and others. The report and recommendations are online. Audio of Dean Terhune presenting the recommendations to students.

Getting to and from Colby Easier
Concord Coachlines now provides daily service during the academic year to and from Colby, connecting to Portland and South Station and Logan Airport in Boston. Special student rates are available. Visit the Concord Web site for rates and the current schedule.

Students, faculty, and staff can join Zipcar for $35 per year. Zipcar provides on-campus rental cars, and Zipcar’s technology means a student can reserve a car online 24/7. The current $7-per-hour rate includes gas, insurance, and up to 180 miles per day. Members age 21 and older can also use thousands of Zipcars in major cities around North America. Details and memberships are available online.

Students may also use the Colby Jitney shuttle, a van driven by students that provides rides to and from shopping areas in Waterville. The service is free for members of the Colby community.

Renovated Dorms Are LEED Gold Certified
Pierce and Perkins-Wilson, built in the early 1950s and renovated in 2008, received LEED gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (http://www.usgbc.org). Formerly the Zete and Phi Delt fraternity houses, the dorms are now more energy efficient and include local, recycled, and sustainably harvested materials. Colby now has more LEED-certified buildings than any other private college in Maine (including the Schair-Swenson-Watson Alumni Center, the Diamond Building, the Cotter Union/Bookstore project) and is the first to achieve the gold level. Read more. An insideColby video about the 2008 renovations is online.

Men's Soccer Celebrates a Half Century
Men's varsity soccer at Colby opened the 2009 season with a celebration of the program's 50th birthday Sept. 12, and almost 100 former players returned to campus for the festivities. Including former coaches and guests, there were 130 (including six “founding fathers” from the 1959 team) at the banquet Saturday night, and 44 alumni played in an alumni. "It was really positive," said Mark Serdjenian '73, who spent four years playing goal and is now in his 34th season as head coach. The Waterville Morning Sentinel wrote about the celebration, and photos by Jamie Hansman '80 are online.

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Donor Profile: Colleen Khoury '64 and David Karraker
In 1998 Colleen Khoury '64 became the first woman dean of the University of Maine School of Law, making her one of only 25 women deans nationally at the time. She credits her family and upbringing with setting her character, but she says Colby is responsible for the way her life has unfolded. Colleen and her husband, David Karraker, recently documented bequests to Colby that qualified them as members of the Willows Society. Read more.

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